Potential Reading Partners

In the middle of night under the Teyvat stars, Ayato makes his way to Yae's Publishing House after being called to meet with the Guuji Yae. He knew whenever she called for his presence, it would be a matter of great importance. Seeing Yae Miko sitting on a stool in front of the store reading a book, he cleared his throat before approaching her.

"You called, Lady Guuji?" Ayato bowed respectfully.

Yae looked up to Ayato from her book, greeting him with a smile. "Ah, Ayato. Just in time. If I recall correctly, you enjoy reading, yes?"

Ayato nodded at her question. "My past time does involve reading documents and requests. Is there an important matter you need to deal with? I would be happy to-"

"No." Yae interrupted him as he showed him the book in her hand. "What are your thoughts on novels or books? Have you been looking for anything that could catch your eye?"

At first, Ayato didn't understand why Yae would be interested in learning about his tastes in writing, but he always knew that the sly fox does not show interest in just anything at any time. If she were to ask a question of you, it means she has important business with you even if it doesn't seem that way on the surface.

"Hmm, that is a good question." Ayato pondered for a minute. "Recently, I have read poetry and biographies of lone samurai of ages past. Oh, and one of my servants introduced me to a classic doctrine on the depths of musical instruments."

Yae rolled her eyes and let out a disappointed sigh. "Boring, boring, and boring."

"Hm? Do you not find joy in such topics, Lady Guuji?"

"I simply believe you are in dire need of more...interesting stories. Come with me."

Ayato did not protest because he knew that once Yae Miko makes up her mind and demands someone to accompany her, nothing could possibly change her mind.

He follows her to the Grand Narukami shrine. The first thing he noticed was the lack of shrine maiden's on duty.

"Are the shrine maidens away for the time being?" He inquired to the lady.

"I allowed them leave for the night. All of their work was finished, so it's just the two of us," Yae answered, leading him to her quarters at the shrine, "Besides, it would be unbearable to have snooping eyes and ears when you read, don't you agree?"

Ayato nodded. "I know that feeling all too well, though it's more so while I am in important meetings or writing out documents."

"No need to go further into detail." Yae brought out a stack of books recently submitted to her by her writing team, "As for why I called you here, I need a fresh pair of eyes and an outside opinion on the novels my publishing house plans to release. I assume your schedule was free for such a task?"

Ayato chuckled. "Even if it wasn't, you would find some way to lighten my load. Not that I do not appreciate it, Lady Guuji."

"Always a pleasure, Ayato." Yae wanted him to drop the formalities while they were in her quarters, but she knew how much he held her in high regard and wants nothing more than to offer respect to her. She hands him one of the books and allows him to read through the contents as she read her share of first-draft books.

Though the room went silent, both adults were hard at work.

Ayato closed the book he was reading and let out a sigh.

Yae looked up from her book, seeing the disappointing look on Ayato's face. "I know what that face and sigh indicate. Did you have problems with the story?"

"Many." Ayato was blunt with his words even in front of Yae, "To summarize, this is the story about a man who was once in love with a beautiful woman, but he knew the woman would not reciprocate his feelings as she is in love with another man."

"Ah, the typical unrequited love."

"Then you know how this story ends and why I find myself...dissatisfied. The man in love with the woman goes through many lengths to express his love for the woman knowing fully that she is in love with another and the story ends with the woman eventually falling in love with him and choosing to marry him."

"A different ending than one where the man's love remains on deaf ears and he ends up alone or finding another love."

"Even if that was the alternative ending, I would still raise an issue. Why is it that the man gains something in the end while the woman ultimately loses something? Why is one happy while the other isn't?"

"An interesting question, Ayato. Why would that be a concern to you? I mean, you could argue the woman is happy to be with a man who loves her."

"But what is the point of love if only one party benefits? Sure, love comes in many forms, but a foundation of a strong relationship is that both parties find joy in each other's company. If this foundation is not established, the relationship inevitably falls apart."

"Hm..."

"Pardon my bluntness, Lady Guuji. I'm sure your writers worked hard on this story, but perhaps they should focus more on how the woman feels and balance out the different perspectives on this singular conflict. It would thus improve the quality of the story and give the readers a solid idea of what goes through the minds of each character."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Ayato. In fact, I didn't take you to be the kind to be critical of fiction writing. A surprising revelation for me."

"My work requires me to be articulate and concise with my letters to important officials. If my orders confuse my allies for even a moment, a planned operation can end in failure before it even begins. That is the effect poor writing can have on communication."

Yae smiled as she stood up from her seat. "I will be sure to relay your words to my team. Thank you very much for your brutal honesty."

"The pleasure is all mine, my lady." Ayato said.

Yae then proceeded to lead him outside to the entrance to the shrine. "You know, I'm thinking about inviting you onto my writing team, Ayato. Your brilliant mind far exceeded my expectations and would be a welcomed boon for an upcoming writing contest this month."

Ayato felt his heartbeat after hearing those words he would never expect to leave from Yae Miko's lips. What surprised him, even more, is that the pink-haired shrine maiden showed no sign of regretting those words. As if she meant them from the bottom of her heart.

Not wanting to ask her, Ayato instead stood up and bowed respectfully, "I am honored that you would consider me for such a task, Lady Guuji; however, I must respectfully decline. Though I was able to point out the flaws of a story, I would not call myself an expert."

"That's understandable. Well, I hope I didn't end up wasting your time with pointless stories."

Ayato shook his head. "Perish the thought, my lady. I am open to trying out new activities. This session with you broadened my perspective on writing that I may be mindful of during my communications with the Shuumatsuban."

Yae giggled. "Even now you're still talking about business. One of these days, you will learn to take time to unwind."

Ayato smiled. "I would only end up refusing."

Yae moved closer to him. "And I would drag you here, kicking and screaming, to read more bad stories with me. Surely you wouldn't refuse an order from me."

"That depends. How fast are you, my lady?"

"How fast am I?" Yae repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of question..."

"Not fast enough." Ayato lifted his hand to gently brush it against Yae's soft cheek. He leaned in closer to the surprised look on her face and the blush of her cheek as pink as the sakura petals flying around them. His forehead connected with hers as he gently brushes her glowing pink hair with his right hand. In a moment, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

After he parted from her, Yae's face turned red as her lips vibrated a little, "A-Ayato?" Yae could only stutter his name. She found herself mesmerized by his azure irises.

"My apologies." Ayato too saw in Yae's purple irises how one can find themselves trapped by their alluring gaze. "Your lips are alluring, Lady Yae…and I didn't realize how beautiful you were up close." Your shrine maidens had told me about how radiant were, and I do not blame them."

Yae closed her eyes and steadied her heavy breathing. Her hands shook as she lifted her left hand to hold onto Ayato's hand on her cheek. "Clever move, Ayato. No one had ever dared to touch my lovely hair, let alone compliment me."

"Did hearing my words bring you joy?"

Yae's smile widened as she looked back up into his eyes. "I haven't smiled like this in anyone's presence for ages. Honestly, I find myself...at ease. "

The Kamisato let out a chuckle. "It would be my honor, my lady."

"I hope you do not disappoint." Yae let out a playful giggle as she held his cheeks in her hands. "If you do, then I show you how it's done for the rest of the night."

Now it was Ayato's turn to blush. His heart began to race as his body began to heat up and every signal in his brain is yelling, "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her! Do it! Do it! Do it!" Before he knew it, he had already pressed his lips against hers.

The two held each other in a close embrace as they enjoyed their passionate kiss. Ayato wrapped his arms around her slender waist and rubbed them across her soft back. Yae rested her arms on Ayato's chest, slowly leaning into him.

"Would you like more?" Ayato asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Absolutely." Yae breathed those words as if she was in a state of wonder, hoping to experience more. She looked up at him. "But let's take this to a more secluded place. You don't mind carrying an exhausted madam to her quarters, do you?"

Ayato let out a chuckle and nodded. "As you wish." He gently lifted the woman into his arms and carried her across the shrine as she nested her head against his shoulder.

Jurabi: Hello once again. It took me a while to finish this story, but I'm glad I got around to doing it. The more I do this, the more I begin to worry that I'm so set on getting to the kissing and the lovemaking that things end up rushed, but maybe that's just me.
This fic in particular was inspired by the art made by lumi350 on twitter. As usual, I will post this fic on twitter with the particular art that inspired this fic.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did and would like to see more, please be sure to leave a comment, a favorite, and a follow.
One last thing, there is a yaeyato discord server. If you would like to join, you can dm YaeYatoRep on twitter to begin the verification process.
Thank you again for your time. I will see you again next time~!